[May 16, 2020] “Read my lips; no new taxes.” In 1988, then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush made a simple, clear promise that he would not raise taxes on the American people if elected. Later, he failed to live up to his promise. His political opponents repeatedly questioned his trustworthiness, and he lost re-election. When leaders make a promise,… Read More »
[May 15, 2020] The first time I heard of Jersey Mike’s sub shop was while attending a New York Yankee’s baseball game in their stadium in the Bronx. What I didn’t know was that their subs are enormously popular in New Jersey and New York. Since their founding in 1956, the owner has expanded his sub-franchise into a… Read More »
[May 14, 2020] Army Vet writes to us today about the importance of strength and honor; that we lack these virtues and are suffering for it. He also emphasizes a common theme of his … that weak leaders are more common than we might think and they do serious harm. Strength and the next battle: I have never… Read More »
[May 13, 2020] Watching the news on television and reading local newspapers, I have become saturated with health professionals, politicians, and pundits that are encouraging fear. It matters not where I go for information or about what is happening anywhere in the world; there is a steady drumbeat of dire predictions that the world is about to come… Read More »
[May 12, 2020] One of the most challenging questions asked of me was what defines “evil.” Evil, and what it means and does not mean, has been a subject of human thinking since the beginning of our species. Today, I’ll address who I believe is the cruelest leader in the twentieth century, and in doing so, incorporate my… Read More »
[May 11, 2020] I first met Bob Martin standing guard on a small bridge near my Engineer headquarters back in 2004, just as the Coalition was readying itself for a major offensive. What none of us knew at the time was that U.S. Marine Pvt Robert “Bob” Martin would soon show extraordinary bravery. This is his story of… Read More »
[May 10, 2020] In the late 1960s, my friend Wilson and I watched an adventure television episode of The Rat Patrol. This television series loosely based on the actual World War II exploits of the allied Australian, New Zealander, and British defenders of Tobruk, Libya. The Siege of Tobruk by German forces in 1941, commanded by Field Marshall… Read More »
[May 9, 2020] Yesterday, I published Part 1 of this series on how senior leaders gain respect. It bears repeating, “It is not possible to force people to respect you.” Everyone seems to recognize that respect helps smooth the way toward getting the mission accomplished. Thus, the desire for respect will come as no surprise. “How do leaders… Read More »
[May 8, 2020] Let’s begin with an admission; it is not possible to force people to respect you. We all would like to be respected, so what does it take for leaders to gain respect? The reasons we “want” respect are irrelevant for our discussion here, but I do believe that desire is a distant, deep-seated psychological need.… Read More »
[May 7, 2020] I started this Leadership Toolbox series in the first month of my leadership blog back in September 2014. At the time, I saw the value of listing proven tools (regularly used by highly-successful leaders) was a great way to begin fixing leadership problems I saw in the U.S. Army. Today’s topic is about Red Teams,… Read More »